


Payment

by spacefucker



Series: 30 Day Challenge (Marvel) [7]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, a theme of my stories it seems, civil war never happened bc it is awful, just talk stuff out!!!!, steve is an ass, tony is confussed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacefucker/pseuds/spacefucker
Summary: “Do you think this is what I want, Tony?”
Tony is currently sitting, flabbergasted, watching Steve spill the hundreds of dollars in art supplies at his feet. It had been a weird day so far. Steve and he had been circling each other playing the ‘will they/won’t they’ game for the last couple of weeks. Tony had thought that it was going well. In fact he’d been working up the courage to just ask Steve already.
“I…” Tony clears his throat, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”





	

“Do you think this is what I want, Tony?”

Tony is currently sitting, flabbergasted, watching Steve spill the hundreds of dollars in art supplies at his feet. It had been a weird day so far. Steve and he had been circling each other playing the ‘will they/won’t they’ game for the last couple of weeks. Tony had thought that it was going well. In fact he’d been working up the courage to just _ask_ Steve already.

“I…” Tony clears his throat, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?”

Tony just shakes his head and looks down at the scattered supplies and frowns. He was sure Steve would like them. He’s seen the sketch books and the canvas boards. Tony knew that Steve was keeping to the cheaper supplies. Contrary to popular belief, Steve didn’t have a lot of money and even if he did he wouldn’t spend much on himself.

“I thought you’d like them.”

Steve scoffs, “What is it? You’ve bought me clothes, this expensive watch,” he says, picking angrily at it to remove it from his wrist, “you take me on crazy outings to these flashy restaurants and you just throw money at everything.”

Tony, unsure of where this is going, asks softly, “And that’s bad?”

“All you do is throw money at stuff.” Steve is giving him that Captain look with his arms crossed over his heaving chest.

“But I have the money to do those things?” Tony says, still confused.

Steve scoffs, “So just because you have it means you have to spend it?”

Tony stands and tries reaching out to Steve, “No, I just like spending it on the team. I like spending it on you.”

Steve backs away from Tony’s hand, “You don’t do this for the others.”

“Sure I do.” Tony is still trying to understand. “Thousands alone in R&D for Clint’s bows and arrows alone. An easy million on Kevlar-esque fabric for Natasha’s cat suits. Take-out night alone is pricey. I do stuff for everyone. I just thought I could do something for you, too.”

“I can’t be bought, Tony.” Steve shakes his head. “You can’t buy people.”

Tony laughs a little, nervous, “I’m not trying to buy anyone.”

“So what? You don’t expect anything in return? You don’t get anything out of this?”

Tony winces, “I’ll admit that I’ve had issues with buying people things to make them like me but-“

“I don’t need things to like you, Tony.”

“Yeah.” Tony shrugs. “I get that. Mostly.”

Steve drops his arms and his face softens, “You think you need to buy me stuff just so I’ll stick around?”

“Yes.” Steve’s face contorts with something Tony can’t place so he supplements, “But! But, I also do this because I know you’ll like them or that you need them. Two birds.”

“Tony,” Steve sighs, running a hand over his face, “Tony, you don’t need to get me stuff just so I’ll stay.”

“That’s what people say.” Tony shrugs. “You don’t have to lie.”

“I’m not lying!” Steve yells and then immediately looks ashamed when Tony flinches so he lowers his voice. “I’m not lying, Tony.”

“That’s what a liar would say.” Tony mumbles.

Steve clenches his jaw, “Do you think I’m a liar?”

“I _think_ that this whole thing has taken a turn.” Tony rubs his eyes and then puts his hands out, palms up. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to be honest. I want our relationship to be…god, look, I just want nothing hanging over us.”

“They’re just art supplies!”

Steve crosses his arms again, “They’re an obligation! Now I have to repay you.”

“What?” Tony shakes his head and laughs. “No you don’t”

“Yes, I do! That’s what I’ve been doing this whole time!”

Tony struck then by fear. Was Steve only spending time with him out of a sense of obligation? Was everything they’ve done, everything that Tony thought was progress, something fake? He felt his heart clench and tears forming.

“Is that what this has been?” Tony whispers, arms limp at his side, “Have you been spending time with me because you _had to_?”

“Tony-“

Tony interrupts him with a barely repressed sob, “Everything? The late night talks in my workshop? Me opening up about my dad? You letting me cry about my mom? You did all that because you _felt_ like you _had to_?”

It’s silent. Tony’s close to crying. He’s trying his best to stop tears from flowing. Steve looks wrecked, arms at his sides while he searches Tony’s eyes.

Before he can stop it Steve has him in his arms. Tony’s head resting against Steve’s chest, dampening Steve’s shirt with his tears, while Steve squeezes him almost too tight. After a moment Tony brings his arms up and wraps them around Steve’s waist and lets out another broken sob.

“I’m sorry, Tony.”

“I just wanted to get you stuff.” He sniffles and clenches Steve tighter. “I’m sorry.”

Steve rests his chin on top of Tony’s head and starts rocking them back and forth, “No, I’m sorry. I overreacted. I should have just talked to you about it instead of assuming.” He kisses the top of Tony’s head and smiles into his hair. “Just for the record: I enjoyed spending time with you. I didn’t feel obligated when you talked about your family. I just thought there was something you wanted.”

“All I want is you.” Tony laughed into Steve’s shirt, “You ass.”

Steve’s chuckle vibrates through his chest and through Tony. Steve pulls away just a little and looks down at Tony, smiling and quirks his mouth a little in that way that makes butterflies flutter in his stomach. He leans in slowly, to give Tony the time to say no, and presses a soft kiss to Tony’s lips.

His lips are warm, soft and everything Tony had imagined. He doesn’t waste any time answering back and chances deepening the kiss, moving his hands up to rest on Steve’s shoulders, hands clenching in the soft fabric of his shirt. He fulls away first, resting his forehead against Steve’s, smiling like a fool but happy.

“You’re still an ass.”

“I know.” Steve smiles back and cups Tony’s head in his hands.

Tony laughs and kisses him again.


End file.
